Separation of Radioisotopes

Veolia Nuclear Solutions develops effluent treatment systems to separate and remove radioisotopes from the most challenging effluent streams. A comprehensive package of best in-class technologies are used to resolve the most complex radiological wastewater challenges.

Veolia Nuclear Solutions develops effluent treatment systems to separate and remove radioisotopes from the most challenging effluent streams. A comprehensive package of best-in-class technologies are used to resolve the most complex radiological waste water challenges.

Ion Exchange - Utilizes several classes of Ion Specific Media (ISM®) to target and remove radioactive isotopes from aqueous solutions that threaten both human health and the environment.

Chemical Addition - Includes Actiflo-Rad® which was successfully deployed to the Fukushima 1F site in response to the 2011 disaster.

Thermal - Industrial evaporation and crystallization equipment, which have extensive experience across a wide range of applications, are utilized in the treatment of wastewater with zero liquid discharge.

Veolia Nuclear Solutions has designed and produced specialty mobile systems to complement fixed columns using ISM® substrates. This mobile treatment system, known as KMPS®, can be used for the rapid implementation of ISM® substrates in tanks which are too remote from the water treatment units, avoiding an influx of contaminated liquids.

Removing Tritium: a Unique Decontamination Challenge

The decontamination of tritium (T) is particularly problematic: it is a special form of hydrogen that creates tritiated water (HTO vs. H2O), which does not lend itself to removal by conventional technologies. This is because instead of the contaminant being carried along in water in suspended or dissolved form, the water molecule itself is modified. As a result, tritiated water is particularly difficult to treat and can spread easily if it escapes into the environment.

Veolia Nuclear Solutions has developed an advanced separation technique for tritium: Modular Detritiation System (MDS®).

The MDS® is a tritium management tool for processing large volumes of light water across a range of concentrations. This technology is based on the working principle of combined electrolysis catalytic exchange (CECE) and releases only clean oxygen and hydrogen with no liquid effluent. The technology builds on proven heavy water solutions, and although developed with a focus on light water, it can also be adapted for use in heavy water detritiation.

The system is designed to take large volumes of tritiated water and concentrate the tritium into a smaller, more manageable volume so it can be recycled or reused, thus eliminating or significantly reducing the amount of tritium released to the environment.